1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system, and more particularly to execution control of an image forming process cooperated with the image forming apparatus in upgrading a version of control program executed by a peripheral device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many image forming apparatuses such as copy machines, particularly relatively large sophisticated image forming apparatuses including CPUs, can optionally be connected to peripheral devices such as finishers and feeders. For the connected peripheral devices to function, the respective peripheral devices require an appropriate control program. In recent years, however, in order to reduce processing loads on the image forming apparatus and in conjunction with increasing sophistication of such peripheral devices, a CPU and a memory have also been provided on a peripheral side, and the control program for the peripheral device is stored in the memory mounted on the peripheral device, and executed by the CPU mounted on the peripheral device.
When an image forming process request is entered into a job queue in response to a request for an image forming process, the image forming apparatus forms data as a printing object into a raster image on sheets, and subsequently sends the sheets to, for example, a finisher. The finisher executes a processing such as bookbinding in accordance with the control program.
As described above, the peripheral device executes the control program to operate in conjunction with the image forming apparatus to fulfill a predetermined function. The control program version is appropriately upgraded in accordance with the expansion of the functionality of the peripheral device or the like.
Although in a conventional image forming system it is possible to take measures to deal with trouble generated in, for example, the peripheral device can be taken, such systems have heretofore not been constituted to appropriately keep pace with upgrading of the peripheral device control program. As a result, such systems are brought into an unusable state. Consequently, in consideration of user convenience, there has been a demand for execution control of an image forming process when software is upgraded.